New York-based Percussionist, Recording Artist, Researcher and Educator Michael Jones stops by to talk about his current teaching job at Bard College (NY) and his work throughout the school (04:40), how his graduate studies at UC-San Diego influenced his solo CD projects (17:30), his philosophical research on ontology and percussion instrument ideology and modernity, and questions about what “total percussion” means today (30:30), growing up in Connecticut, his progressive metal music background, high school band, and his involvement in the Live Action Role-Playing community (58:25), his undergrad years at the Hartt School of Music (CT) and studying under Ben Toth and many of the other faculty there (01:12:45), more about his graduate work at UCSD, studying under Steven Schick, and many of his UCSD student colleagues (01:25:35), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on the impact of YouTube on young musicians, discussions of mental health, metal music, great books, and the San Diego Superbloom (01:39:40).

Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (02:08:20).

Michael Jones Links:

Michael Jones’ website

Michael Jones’ Bard College page

Michael Jones’ Discography

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:

Steven Schick from 2025

Rebecca Lloyd-Jones from 2022

Nicholas Papador from 2024

Other Links:

Eric Cha-Beach

Jason Treuting

Nicholas Deyoe

Pluto Bell

Scott Wollschleger

Sun Ra

Thurman Barker

“Psappha” - Iannis Xenakis

The Percussionist’s Art - Steven Schick

Amy Cimini

Unsound Supplies - Fanny Gribenski (editor)

Anthropocene Period

Writing the Implosion - Joseph Dumit

Between the Buried and Me

Protest the Hero

Scale the Summit

Periphery

Fred Hinger

Ben Toth

Joe Galeota

John Amira

Shane Shanahan

Ted Piltzecker

Rogerio Boccato

From Me Flows What You Call Time - Toru Takemitsu

Percussion Group Cincinnati

Herbert Brün

Bill Solomon

“Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” - Lukas Foss

William Winant

“Bone Alphabet” - Brian Ferneyhough

“Persephassa” - Iannis Xenakis

Zen and the Art of Archery - Eugene Herrigel

Fiona Digney

Princess Mononoke trailer

Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer

Rakesfall - Vajra Chandrasekera

Swann’s Way - Marcel Proust (Lydia Davis translation)

Meshuggah

San Diego Superbloom

Nardelli’s

Zetsu No. 8 - Nishida Jun

Raves:

Earth, Wind & Fire documentary trailer

It’s Episode 500, and the 10-year Anniversary of Pete’s Percussion Podcast!  After Pete talks about the early days of the show (01:45), he welcomes back his Mizzou colleague, member of the Percussive Arts Society Board of Directors, Percussionist, Educator and Administrator Megan Arns back to the show for the first time in 8 years!  Megan talks about her early years in percussion and her experiences and jobs prior to taking the Percussion Director Position at Mizzou in 2014 (12:00), her 12 years so far at Mizzou, what’s she’s learned, her administrative role, the job market and the challenges for future percussion teachers (17:30), working with grad students these days and her own experiences as a grad student (36:30), why she’s involved in PAS Leadership now, having a family and the challenges and opportunities of continuing to keep a professional career (44:00), her work with the Switch~ Ensemble (01:03:30), when her mentor Michael Burritt came to visit Mizzou in the spring (01:11:00), and a brief Random Ass Questions segment including managing her own physical and mental health, her knowledge of children’s media, new and upcoming travels, her father the college professor, “full send”, and some kudos to Pete for the podcast (01:21:35).

Finishing with the Raves, including some FAQs about the podcast and Pete’s heartfelt thanks to the guests and the fans of the show (01:38:00).

Megan Arns Links:

Megan Arns’ website

Megan Arns’ Mizzou page

Switch~ Ensemble website

Bill Kalinkos

Previous Megan Arns’s podcast appearances:

Megan in 2016

Megan in 2017

Megan in 2018

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned in this episode:

John Parks IV in 2018

Troy Hall in 2020

Clif Walker in 2021

Mark Ford in 2023

William Moersch in 2019

Joshua Simonds in 2022

Other Links:

Lewis & Clark Fife and Drum Corps

Colts Drum & Bugle Corps

Michael Bump

Michael Burritt

Royal Hartigan

“Kakamora” from Moana

Experimental Media and Performing Arts Theater

KPop Demon Hunters trailer

Moana trailer

Frozen trailer

Wicked trailer

“Takedown” from KPop Demon Hunters

Recent Master of Music in Percussion Performance graduate from the University of Missouri Matthew Hinkle stops by to talk about his Master’s degree recital program (03:35), his graduate assistantship duties in percussion and recording services (11:10), his interactions with the Mizzou faculty, his enjoyment of the grad cohort there, and his future in percussion (29:00), growing up in the St. Louis area, getting into percussion, and his years in DCI and WGI (44:40), his time attending community college while prepping for DCI auditions as well as getting starting working with high school drumlines (01:00:45), his undergrad years at Lindenwood University (MO) (01:07:15), his path to getting to Mizzou and more about his time as a percussion student (01:16:10), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on WGI and DCI and how they supplement the undergrad percussion student, the bad movie Anaconda, cooking, great books, classic video games, and the music of Richard Strauss (01:27:20).

Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film I Love Boosters (01:54:40).

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:

Megan Arns in 2016

Julia Gaines-Montag in 2016

Troy Hall in 2020

Clif Walker in 2021

Connor Stevens in 2021

Other Links:

Great Plains International Marimba Competition

“Caleidoscopio” - Gene Kosinski

“Canaries” - Elliot Carter

“The Anvil Chorus” - David Lang

“Khan Variations” - Alejandro Viñao

“White Pines” - Michael Burritt

The Missouri Symphony

Blue Devils DCI

Freedom Percussion WGI

2019 Blue Devils show

Sebastian Buhts

David Arns

Interstellar trailer

Anaconda trailer

The Percussionist’s Art - Steven Schick

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

Musashi’s Dokkodo

DOOM trailer

Diablo IV trailer

Imo’s Pizza

Ein Heidenleben - Richard Strauss

Raves:

I Love Boosters trailer

Following Pete’s thoughts about his experiences at the Canadian Percussion Network’s “The Space Between V” conference, Author and journalist Sam Quinones (The Perfect Tuba) stops by to talk about Sam’s career in journalism, growing up in California, crime reporting, and writing about tuba players and band directors (06:05), his relationship with music, his love of various genres and styles, and his background in punk rock (16:20), his first jobs in writing and building his writing skill set, talking to interesting people, and some of his favorite writers (25:00), his early research on the book, Tuba Fats, and Robert Caro (36:05), the connections between addiction and fulfillment through hard work in music, along with the needs of bands directors to become advocates for their work (41:50), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, with segments on the challenges for young journalists today, The Godfather films, and great music from The Rolling Stones, Sun Ra, and Emmylou Harris (01:05:45).

Finishing with a Rave on the Sam Quinones book The Perfect Tuba: Forging Fulfillment from the Bass Horn, Band, and Hard Work (01:20:10).

Sam Quinones Links:

Sam Quinones’ website

The Perfect Tuba - Sam Quinones

Other Links:

The Stockton Record

The Los Angeles Times

June 17, 1994 trailer (The OJ Simpson chase)

Folk Music Center

“Carol” - The Rolling Stones

“Mama Tried” - Merle Haggard

“Stand By Your Man” - Tammy Wynette

“Jambalaya” - Clifton Chenier

“La Puerta Negra” - Los Tigres Del Norte

“Sweet Emotion” - Aerosmith

“What’s Your Name” - Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Chain Saw” - The Ramones

“Clampdown” - The Clash

“California Uber Alles” - Dead Kennedys

Killings - Calvin Trillin

Robert Caro

The Corpse Had a Familiar Face - Edna Buchanan

On Writing Well - William Zinsser

Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

The Godfather trailer

The Godfather Part II trailer

Goodfellas trailer

“Me and Billy the Kid” - Joe Ely

“Space is The Place” - Sun Ra

Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town - Emmylou Harris

Raves:

The Perfect Tuba - Sam Quinones

Kansas City-based freelancing percussionist, educator, Steel Pan artist, composer and arranger Candice Hill stops by to talk about her career in KC and getting started there, along with her time performing with the Kansas City Chiefs drumline (03:45), teaching and performing in town, arranging and composing, and her work “Red City Calypso” (21:30), growing up in Columbia (MO) and her family musical background (34:45), her undergrad years at Missouri State University, marching band and lessons, getting into steel pan performance, and Music Education vs. Music Performance degrees (44:55), attending Northern Illinois University for her master’s in Steel Pan Performance, studying with Liam Teague and Cliff Alexis, dealing with performance anxiety, and keeping up with her non-steel band percussion skills (01:04:15), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on being a woman in the field of percussion, Pete getting to work with Candice and Emily Lemmermann for the Missouri Mass Steel Band performance last month, Dirty Dancing, Crafts and Baking, experiencing Panorama in Trinidad and Tobago, bad cleaning jobs, and the excellence of Steel Band all over the world (01:27:20).

Finishing with a Rave on the 2026 film Michael (01:54:30).

Candice Hill Links:

Candice Hill’s website

“Red City Calypso” - Candice Hill

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:

Emily Lemmermann in 2019

Julia Gaines-Montag in 2016

Scott Cameron in 2016

Liam Teague in 2025

Rich Holly in 2020

Raychel Taylor in 2020

Amanda Duncan in 2023

Elizabeth DeLamater in 2019

Other Links:

Matt Arnet

“Tornado” - Mitch Markovich

John Patterson

Blast!

Al O’Connor

Cliff Alexis

“Because” - The Beatles

“Island in the Sun” - Len “Boogsie” Sharpe

Yuko Asada

Mia Gormandy-Benjamin

Robert Chappell

Scott McConnell

Dirty Dancing trailer

Unheard Voices - Myrna Nurse

Cricut crafts

“Pan by Storm” - Skiffle Bunch

Ben Yancey

Raves:

Michael trailer

Sandbox Percussion Member and Educator Terry Sweeney stops by to talk about his work with Sandbox, their teaching at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Mannes (NY), and the Bob Van Sice influence (03:50), the beginnings of Sandbox Percussion, Terry’s challenges of performing in Sandbox and finishing his master’s degree at the same time, the Brooklyn studio, and the challenges and workings of scheduling (19:40), growing up in Michigan, his drumset and drumline background, and connecting with Gwen Dease through Interlochen (57:00), attending Peabody Conservatory (MD) for undergrad and studying with Bob Van Sice, and heading to Yale University (CT) for grad school, continuing with Van Sice, and some of the other folks he worked with during his time there (01:11:00), and finishes with the Random Ass Questions, including segments on working with Andy Akiho, training for triathlons, his fandom for popcorn, and the work Canto Ostinato (01:18:15).

Finishing with a Rave on the band Sound Society (01:51:20).

Terry Sweeney links:

Sandbox Percussion

Terry at Sandbox

Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:

Victor Caccese in 2019

Ian Rosenbaum in 2025

Jonny Allen in 2026

Gwen Dease in 2017

Garrett Arney in 2019

Amy Smith in 2018

Julie Hill in 2019

Julie Davila in 2019

David Skidmore in 2025

Sean Connors in 2025

Peter Martin in 2025

Robert Dillon in 2025

Other Links:

Robert Van Sice

“Extremes” - Jason Treuting

“Mallet Quartet” - Steve Reich

“Drumming” - Steve Reich

So Percussion

Eighth Blackbird

Pat Metheny Group

Antonio Sanchez

Interlochen

“Porgy and Bess” xylophone excerpt

Modern School for Xylophone, Marimba, and Vibraphone - Morris Goldenberg

Yale Percussion Group

“Mirage” - Yasuo Sueyoshi

Paul Berry

“Time for Marimba” - Minoru Miki

Aftersun trailer

A Rainy Day in New York trailer

My Struggle - Karl One Knausgard

Canto Ostinato - Simeon ten Holt

Raves:

Sound Society

California-based Percussionist, Educator, and Adjudicator Genevieve Hilburn returns for Part 2 of our conversation! She’s here to discuss getting into the Master’s Program at East Texas A&M University, studying with Brian Zator and his community of percussion experts, and the focus on developing young percussionists there (04:20), Genevieve’s experiences with the drumline at the school, her post-master’s degree plans, getting her jobs at CSU-Bakersfield and Bakersfield College, and her thoughts on the job considerations and preparations for graduate students (27:05), and she settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on counting rests, being a woman in the percussion world, “programmatic intent”, vintage clothing and furniture, Wes Anderson Movies, great books, Australia, the Blue Coats, and so much more (48:50).

Finishing with a Rave on the books that supported Pete’s teaching of his Music and the Movies course at Mizzou (01:35:40).

Genevieve Hilburn Links:

Part 1 with Genevieve Hilburn

Genevieve Hilburn’s Bakersfield College page

Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:

Britton-René Collins in 2023

Brian Zator in 2017

Lauren Teel in 2017

The Vesna Duo in 2022

Louis Raymond-Kolker in 2024

Mark Ford in 2023

Julie Davila in 2019

Kathryn Irwin in 2024

Alexis C. Lamb in 2021

Gwen Dease in 2017

Casey Cangelosi in 2017

Kevin Bobo in 2017

Victoria Sparks in 2018

Other Links:

Sean Clark

Cavaliers 1995 DCI Show - “The Planets”

Chad Floyd

Pius Cheung

Jeff Ausdemore

Sandi Rennick

Greg Power

Matthew Howard

Kenneth McGrath

Nancy Zeltsman

Ji Hye Jung

Gunne Sax clothes

Moonrise Kingdom trailer

The Grand Budapest Hotel trailer

The Royal Tenenbaums trailer

Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer

Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace trailer

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer

Dashner Design and Restoration

The Crocodile Hunter

H-E-B Tres Leches Cake

TIERRAS South Texas Percussion Competition

2019 Blue Coats Warmup

Raves:

Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen - Michel Chion

Reel Music: Exploring 100 Years of Film Music - Roger Hickman

California State University – Bakersfield and Bakersfield College Percussion Professor Genevieve Hilburn stops by to talk about her teaching at both schools (04:20), the influence of DCI and WGI on teaching in California schools and the challenges of teaching in the performing arts (15:00), getting into the WGI judging circuit, her work with the Percussive Arts Society and her freelancing career (29:45), growing up in Southern California, her early years in music, and her time in the Girl Scouts (49:40), and her time in undergrad at the CSU – Northridge (01:01:50).

Finishing with a Rave on a recent performance with the Missouri Symphony on their “Best of Broadway” concert (01:08:00).

Genevieve Hilburn links:

Genevieve Hilburn’s Bakersfield College page

Previous Podcast Guests mentioned:

Britton-René Collins in 2023

Brian Zator in 2017

Lauren Teel in 2017

The Vesna Duo in 2022

Louis Raymond-Kolker in 2024

Other Links:

James Logan Band and Color Guard

Sandi Rennick

Jeff Ausdemore

David Walker

John Luther Adams

Kai Strobel

John Magnussen

Aaron Smith

Raves:

The Missouri Symphony Orchestra

Maryland-based Freelancing Percussionist, Recording Artist, Composer, Author and Admissions Counselor Jenna Duranko stops by to talk about her career, her seminary studies, playing in senior-living spaces, and her recent album Mosaic (04:20), growing up in Frederick (MD), her early musical background in choir, piano and French horn, and her time in the girl scouts (24:00), attending Radford University (VA) for undergrad, recent podcast guest Meridythe Witt, becoming a percussion major and starting from scratch, and majoring in Music Business (34:20), her 7 years working in radio, creating a career through solo marimba performance, how the pandemic changed her career and called her towards ministry, and her current composition project (53:40), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including segments on why musicians always need to be paid, Tervis Tumblers, the band B*Witched, The Pittsburgh Steelers, library work, Macado’s Restaurant, and the Artemis II (01:12:40).

Finishing with a Rave on Pete’s experiences with the 2026 Missouri Day of Percussion and co-leading the Mass Steel Band (01:38:15).

Jenna Duranko links:

Jenna Duranko’s Facebook page

Jenna Duranko’s Instagram page

Mosaic - Jenna Duranko

Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:

Meridythe Witt in 2026

Jeff Calissi in 2017

Megan Arns in 2017

Emily Lemmermann in 2019

Brian Zator in 2017

Connor Viets in 2024

Other Links:

Robert Sanderl

Lancaster Theological Seminary

Preaching and Music - Catherine Williams

“Michi” - Keiko Abe

“Wind in the Bamboo Grove” - Keiko Abe

Taubmann Museum of Art

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition

Rizpah

B*Witched

Tervis Tumblers

The Legend of Bagger Vance trailer

Gone with the Wind trailer

The Giver - Lois Lowry

Ben Roethlisberger highlights

Aaron Rodgers highlights

Mike Tomlin

Macado’s

Highlander Pizza

Raves:

2026 Missouri Day of Percussion

New York City-based Freelancing Percussionist, Teacher and Composer Caitlin Cawley stops by to talk about her professional life and her work with the percussion groups Talujon and Mantra Percussion (04:20), growing up on Long Island, her musical beginnings, and her time in the Juilliard pre-college program (22:00), attending Boston University and Manhattan School of Music for her undergrad and grad career, and how the pandemic and a health scare changed the scope of her percussion future (47:40), and settles in for the Random Ass Questions, including discussions of her experiences in the percussion world as a woman, great science-fiction books and series, New York Pizza, the New York Rangers, great visual art, and KPOP Demon Hunters (01:17:20).

Finishing with a Rave on the 2025 documentary film Thank You Very Much (01:44:40).

Caitlin Cawley Links:

Caitlin Cawley’s website

Talujon

Mantra Percussion

Previous Podcast Guests Mentioned:

Mika Godbole in 2026

Ian Antonio in 2023

Maria Finkelmeier in 2018

Pablo Rieppi in 2024

Other Links:

Bash the Trash

Greg Jukes

The Spence School

Brass Queens

Dewa Alit

La Mama

Michael Lipsey

David Cossin

Christopher Graham

“Get Off of My Cloud” - The Rolling Stones

“Honky Tonk Women” - The Rolling Stones

“Sonic Meditation 1” - Pauline Oliveros

Hypermobility

Jonathan Haas

Greg Giannascoli

Sam Solomon

Tim Genis

Matthew Pellegrino

The Fifth Element trailer

Whiplash trailer

The Great Cities - NK Jemisin

The Dune Series - Frank Herbert

Ursula K. Le Guin

The Daevabad Trilogy - S.A. Chakraborty

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi - S.A. Chakraborty

Empire AI - Karen Hao

R.F. Kuang

Katie Ledecky

New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup

Joe and Sal’s Pizza

KPop Demon Hunters trailer

Raves:

Thank You Very Much trailer